Products

About

Antigone

Pride in AntigoneGandhi once said, “Anger is the enemy of non-violence, and pride is a matter that swallows it up.” Pride is never an acceptable notion and it often leads to ones downfall, as we see often throughout Sophocles’ play, Antigone. Multiple characters in Antigone experience prideful thoughts and actions during the course of the play resulting in the tragedy of negative outcomes in the end.

In the beginning of Antigone the two sisters, Antigone and Ismene, are discussing their mal situation of their dead brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles. The prideful brothers had fought against each other for the thrown in battle, only to both be killed by the other. Creon had now taken rule of Thebes and made the decision to only give Eteocles a proper burial, and to leave Polyneices out to rot. This infuriated Antigone because without a proper burial ones soul cannot go to the after life with the gods. Antigone decides she is going to put Polyneices’ soul to rest and asks Ismene if she will “share the labor” (line 50, pg. 954). Ismene is put in between a rock and a hard place when Antigone asks her to assist her because it is against Creon’s law to bury Polyneices, but she wants to honor her brother as well. The main difference between Antigone and Ismene is that Antigone is full of pride for her family and holds her family over the law of the city. Ismene, on the other hand, holds the good of the city over the good of her family when she declines Antigone’s offer to bury their brother. With all of the drama her family has endured, Ismene wants to stay clear from any more conflict. Instead of standing up for her family, Ismene belittles herself as she tries to persuade Antigone to rethink burying Polyneices as she states, “remember we are women, we’re not born to conflict with men” (line 74 – 75, pg. 955). Ismene’s statement infuriates Antigone even more so, as Antigone insists she will follow out the law of the gods by giving Polyneices a proper...

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...Antigone Essay
Creon and Antigone are both honorable people, yet both are fatally proud and that is the source of the tragedy. To what extent do you agree?
The source of tragedy in Antigone by Sophocles cannot be simply attributed to the downfall of the two characters, Creon and Antigone. Creon and Antigone both have a very strong will and can both be very stubborn towards people, Creon by refusing to listen to other people and Antigone very determined to fight for what she wants which is to bury her brother Polyneices. Other factors that contribute to the tragedy are Oedipus Antigone’s father and Creon’s brother who began the curse on the family due to his previous actions. The chorus also plays a part in the tragedy by not talking to Creon out of pure fear that he will kill them, they had many opportunities and when they do decide to try and change his mind it is already too late.
Due to the previous actions of Oedipus had lead his family to have a curse, and now it is has reflected onto his children. The first conversation of the play is between Ismene and her sister Antigone and we see that they both discuss the “heavy hand of god is upon us” that has been placed on their family. Antigone wants to change the town’s people’s minds on how they see and think of their family by trying to do the right thing by the God’s and have a burial for her brother...

...11/5/13
English 111
Antigone Paper
Antigone: Individual vs. State
The conflict between individual conscious and state law is something mankind has endured since the beginning of history. There have been many individuals that have stood by their beliefs and conscious against government law despite the repercussions. This conflict is one of the main struggles in Antigone, the Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. At the center of this tragedy is the battle between an individual’s moral duty and their duty to the state. The disharmony between the two is shown by Antigone’s duty to her family and moral law and Creon’s obligation or need to enforce the state law.
Antigone and Creon’s contrary opinions express the theme of individual conscious versus government law. In the first scene, Antigone and Ismene, Daughters of Oedipus, are discussing weather or not their brother Polyneices should receive a proper burial. Ismene has conflicting opinions because the king of Thebes, Creon, declared that Polyneices does not deserve a proper burial. Creon declares that anyone who tries to bury Polyneices will be killed. Antigone is strong willed and knows that it is her moral duty to give her brother a proper burial despite of what Creon believes. Despite Creon’s threats, Antigone holds her duty to the gods and to her family to a higher standard than the duty she has to Creon and the...

...Antigone by Sophocles is an interesting play that I enjoyed reading. It was something different for me since I don’t ever read plays. After reading the play I thought this story would fit under a feminist approach, until I fully began to understand and analyze each character of the play. In this paper I will discuss how the major events of Antigone can be analyzed through the psychological approach point of view. I as well read each critic about Antigone and found some similarity and dissimilarity opinions about the play. I will also discuss rather if I agree or not with the critics on Antigone. It is a great play that I am looking forward to analyzing.
My favorite character in the play is Antigone. I know that she is a strong young girl who believes in what is right must be done, even if it means breaking the law and going against her uncle Creon. If it means risking her life to give her brother Polynices a proper burial she is willing to do it. Using the psychological approach I thought about what would influence Antigone to be so brave and risk her life. She knew the orders Creon gave was against the orders of the Gods, and her brother deserved a burial. Antigone doesn't feel that it is right for one brother (Eteocles) to be honored, though they were both killed under the same circumstances, and the other brother (Polynices) should be cursed and called a traitor. She...

...Antigone
In Sophocles’ Antigone, the main conflict is civic authority versus natural law. Creon, the king of Thebes, is faced with the decision of standing by the laws he has enforced or to make the people of Thebes happy. Antigone, the protagonist of the play, countered Creon by breaking his law to not provide a burial for her brother, Polynices. The fundamental struggle between the protagonist and antagonist is developed according to a set pattern that theater audiences have come to recognize (720). Sophocles thought dramatic structure was important because it heightened the emotions of the play that the audience experienced. Sophocles’ transition from one dramatic structure to the next makes for a quick and clear build-up to the play’s denouement.
Since the play has strict time limits, Sophocles had to make sure that the storyline of the play flowed smoothly. The point of attack starts off when Antigone and her sister, Ismene, are discussing Creon’s law to deny burial rights to their brother, Polynices. This quick start to the play helps get the story going and gets straight to the point. The exposition, or revelation of facts, begins as soon as the play does. Sophocles establishes his characters by using foils, a contrasting character who sets off or helps to define another character. Antigone’s foil, Ismene, helps to show Antigone’s stubbornness and independence. While Ismene wants to obey Creon’s law and to...

...﻿Section I: Essay Questions:
A.1) Prompt: How are Antigone, Ismene and Eurydice portrayed in the play? How is this similar or different from how they are observed by the minor characters?
Although ancient Greece was a male-dominate society, Sophocles' work Antigone, portrays women as being strong and capable of making wise decisions. In this tragedy, Sophocles uses three main characters who are women to represent different models of female behavior. Traditionally women are characterized as weak and subordinate as Ismene is portrayed in this way. But Sophocles uses the character of Antigone to allow women to present realistic viewpoints about their character.
One model is represented by the heroine, Antigone. She's presented as a rebel among women due to her passionate outbursts and her unconventional behavior. For example, Antigone believes that convictions can be had, feelings can be experienced, and work can be done by women as well as by men. She doesn't believe that she needs a man to tell her what to say, feel, or do. She knows on her own what's right and wrong, what's comfortable and uncomfortable, and what to do about them. For that reason, Antigone is considered a hero by the minor characters, because no woman in the Greek Society could disobey men's laws.
Another model of female behavior is represented by the Theban Queen Eurydice, who is Creon's wife, and Haemon's mother....

...
Antigone Essay
In society, being self-centered about ideas frequently affects peoples’ judgement. Sophocles raises this issue in his play Antigone. He believes that listening to the wise benefits your judgement, but the result of refusing to listen leads to tragic outcomes. Sophocles uses Ate to develop the characters’ inability to take in others’ perspective.
Sophocles first addresses the tragic results of not listening through Antigone’s refusal to take advice. In Sophocles’s prologue, Ismene states “[She] has no strength” for burying Polynices against the states’ jurisdiction, while Antigone pronounces that Ismene “use[s] that excuse” to avoid trouble (Sophocles 76-83). Even though Ismene says she doesn't have the strength to go against the state, she really means that she doesn’t have the willpower to choose between the Gods’ and Creon’s law because defying either law will result in punishment. Even though Ismene is being cautious of her choices, Antigone believes Ismene is foolish for not siding with her. Antigone chose to believe herself without thinking about Ismene’s point of view. In result, Antigone ends up putting herself between both the laws of the lands and the God’s law, which results in her entombment. In addition to Antigone putting off her sisters’ point of view, Sophocles uses Antigone’s inability to take others perspective into...

...Lilly Povey
Ms. Cesana
Honors English 10
8 November, 2012
Antigone Essay
Tragic heroes have certain requirements they need to fulfill in order to be considered a tragic hero. For example, they need to have stature or greatness, but also have a tragic flaw that leads to a tragic mistake. In the tragedy Antigone, by Sophocles, Creon does not want people to bury a traitor named Polyneices, and when he is buried by Antigone, Creon sentences her to death. In the story Antigone, there is some debate about whether Creon or Antigone is the real tragic hero of the play. Creon is the true tragic hero of Antigone because he shows the tragic hero traits better than Antigone does.
One reason Creon is the tragic hero is because he has stature and greatness. “But now at last our new King is coming: Creon of Thebes, Menoikeus' son” (Episode 1, line 1-3). This quote is describing Creon coming out of the palace to say what he has decided as King to do about Polyneices, the anarchist that rebelled against Creon. The quote shows that Creon is important because the person saying the quote, the Choragos, addresses him as King of Thebes. Creon being the king also shows he has more stature than Antigone because he is a king, whereas Antigone is only a princess. Creon's high stature as King also contributes to his personality of being very prideful.
Creon is also...

...DISCLAIMER: THIS IS JUST A ROUGH DRAFT.
Mark Twain once said, “Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other”. Through events in the play Antigone, Sophocles discusses this choice between what is morally right and lawfully right. Sophocles believes that the god’s laws should be upheld no matter what the circumstance, and he demonstrates this through the events in the play. Using the Greek traits Hubris, Ate, and the Nemesis, Sophocles creates inner turmoil within the characters in the play, and the decisions they must make.
Through arguments between the characters in Antigone, Sophocles emphasizes the Greek trait Hubris to show the decision between the gods and society. In the beginning of the play, Creon expresses his despise for traitors, saying, “And whoever places a friend above the good of his own, he is nothing: I have no use for him.” (203-5) Creon believes that no traitor should be honored for what he did, not even buried. Sophocles uses Creon to show the trait Hubris, which is evaluating one’s own judgement above the laws of the gods. While arguing with the Sentry and the Leader, Creon states, “You say- why it’s intolerable- say the gods could have the slightest concern for that corpse?” (319-20)
Not wanting to believe anyone else’s judgement but his own, Creon clearly expresses that the gods could want nothing with the traitor, Polynices. This further proves that Creon's sense of judgement is...